Interview: Brockton Native Alex J. Gould Talks Broadway Debut in DOG DAY AFTERNOON

Brockton-born actor Alex J. Gould is currently making his Broadway debut in Tony-nominated “Dog Day Afternoon,” appearing alongside Emmy Award-winning actors Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach from Netflix's "The Punisher" and FX's “The Bear.”

Based on the 1975 film of the same name, a crime drama which starred Al Pacino and the late Revere native John Cazale, the play – written for the stage by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Stephen Adly Guirgis (“Between Riverside and Crazy”) and directed by Rupert Goold (“King Charles III”) – is set in New York City in the summer of 1972, when one man’s attempted bank robbery and resulting hostage situation made front-page news alongside the Vietnam War.

Gould, who plays FBI Agent Walsh – appearing in ensemble scenes and understudying both Bernthal and Moss-Bachrach in their respective roles of Sonny and Sal – is not only an actor but also an educator and fight/intimacy director. Gould has been seen off-Broadway in shows including “Wake” (59E59) and “The Woodsman” (New World Stages). His regional-theater credits include “Mary’s Wedding” (Portland Center Stage), “Whaddabloodclot!!!” by Katori Hall (Williamstown Theater Festival), and “Stockade” (Local Theater Company).

The Brockton High School graduate, who studied at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, was at home in New York recently when he spoke by Zoom about “Dog Day Afternoon” – which runs through July 12 at the August Wilson Theatre – what it’s like to be on Broadway, and more.

What is it like to be making your Broadway debut?

I was just thinking about this recently because somebody else asked me that same question, and I think for me what my Broadway debut means is that it’s the result of all the work I’ve put in to get here. I wouldn’t say that it’s confirmation or proof that all the work mattered – that’s not the thing for me. It’s not like because I’m on Broadway, I can now say I’m an actor. I let that go a long time ago. If I call myself an actor, I’m an actor. But to be here is how I can now chart my journey. My whole path from years and years ago has led me to Broadway so, for me, it feels like what was meant to happen at this point in my life.

Do you remember when you first realized that you wanted to appear on Broadway?

I feel like it was always a part of what I wanted to do. I always wanted to appear on Broadway. I saw that it was possible when I was in school in New York and saw Daniel Radcliffe in the 2008 “Equus” revival. It made an impression on me that I was seeing somebody my age. Daniel, of course, had already built a career with the Harry Potter films, but outside of that, I was looking at somebody who was my age doing Broadway, and I remember going back to class and feeling a sense of invigoration. I thought, “I can do it.” So, I always knew that I could get here.

From there, the path got foggier, but I never let go of the idea. I just kept saying to myself, “This is how I’m going to make it happen, and I’m just going to trust in everything that I say yes to.”

Before landing this show, did you go on many earlier Broadway auditions?

I have a great memory and I remember a lot, but I haven’t kept that number in my head. I would say it’s not the largest number, maybe six or seven. I’ve gone on a lot of auditions in my career so far and I’ve also worked a lot. It’s funny that you ask that, though, because “Dog Day Afternoon” was probably my worst.

I first auditioned for another role – the part of Ray Ray, who appears very early in the play, which eventually went to Christopher Sears. The experience reminded me of when I auditioned for the 2013 revival of “Orphans,” that Ben Foster was in with Tom Sturridge and Alec Baldwin, and feeling like I could do that. I was so young and just thought, “I’ve got it” – and I didn’t. I was so nervous. I thought I did pretty well, but I wasn’t there yet. With “Dog Day Afternoon,” I was also very nervous because it was my first big, in-person audition since Covid. But thankfully, I got another part and landed the show.

Did you think you would get another part in this show after Ray Ray went to another actor?

I thought it could happen, but so much of Broadway is about getting butts in the seats that you have a lot of celebrities. Without having TV credits or being in a big film, I had to wonder, how could I do it? That’s one of the things I love about Stephen Adly Guirgis, though. He’s so communal, so brought up in downtown theater where it’s so familial. I’ve gotten to know Stephen over the past few years and so when they brought me in for Ray Ray, I thought I could do it, but then I went in for the first audition, and I sucked. I really sucked.

I get dry mouth when I get nervous, and I didn’t have my water with me, but I thought, “Okay, it’s okay, because it’s a robbery, so just use it, just use it.” And then I got the note, “Don’t show the anxiousness or the nervousness,” which is what I’d done.

How did you feel when you left the audition that day?

When I got home, close friends reached out to ask how things went and I was like, “I’m done! I’m done! I’m done! I’m out!” Then, a couple of months later, I got an email asking me to put myself on tape for the onstage cover of Sonny.

What was your initial reaction to that request?

I knew Jon Bernthal was going to play Sonny and I was like, Jon Bernthal? What are you talking about? Jon and I are nothing alike. But then I thought about the movie, and I remembered watching it and honestly feeling very close to what Al Pacino did in the film, in terms of being scrappy, and just trying to make everything okay. I understood that part of Sonny.

After reading Stephen’s version, I put myself on tape. I was nervous, but once I did, I felt it was one of the smoothest and best audition tapes I’ve ever made. It was with that sense of confidence that I sent it in. And I got the show.

You understudy Sonny, Sal, and a few other characters, but your main role is FBI Agent Walsh. Have you given him a backstory?

As I see him, he’s a young guy with a girlfriend. He’s quite serious about his job, and very quiet. He’s a man of very few words, but he gets the job done. The place where he probably talks the most is at home, which we don’t see in the play.

Is acting on Broadway different from the other stage work you’ve done?

At first, I was like, “Oh, this is Broadway,” but as soon as I started rehearsals it was all the same. Everything was the same – you deal with the same excitement and the same difficulties.

What about the stage door crowds, what are they like to deal with?

They are mostly there for Jon and Ebon, of course, and some for Jessica Hecht, who plays Colleen, too, so I don’t have to worry too much about all that at the August Wilson stage door. I’ve done a lot of regional theater, though, and that has its own brand of fan interaction. In those situations, I often walk down the street, and people call out, "Hey, you were in that show!”

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